Tasting Notes

A blend based on Pinotage, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc, this shows all the traits of a great South African red: plummy cassis, black raspberry, black cherry, and earthy flavors, all wrapped in appropriate levels of tart acidity, ripe tannins, and alcohol.

Staff Pick Notes

My Encounters with Monsieur Goûter
I was at a restaurant yammering on (like I’m prone to do) about this lovely red.
“MMM mesquite smoke, dark berries, and ripe plums!”
When who should overhear me... Monsieur Goûter. His had an air of superiority and his lackeys in tow. He saw my glass and couldn’t help but stick his nose in and take an obnoxious sniff.
“Oooh la la! Eez it some old Chinon? Or per’aps some 2nd growth Bordeaux?!”
I grinned and passed the bottle to him.
“What eez zhis?! Cheap South African wine?!”
“Oui.”
Snickers and giggles emanated from behind Goûter and he started to turn red, but I waived him off because my Mixed Grill was arriving.

- SD

Astor's Glossary of Terms

Merlot

The next time you hear someone say they never touch Merlot, tell them that it's too bad, because you were just about to open a few bottles of Château Pétrus and Le Pin, and you have no one to share them with. Some wine drinkers are quick to dismiss varieties that become too fashionable, but Merlot is popular for good reason. It has one of the most impressive and distinctive textures of any wine,...

South Africa

South Africa is often lumped together, under some arbitrary umbrella heading, with the other wine-producing regions of the southern hemisphere - South America, Australia, New Zealand, etc. This does a severe injustice both to the fantastic wines of South Africa and to the wine consumer: the region is peerless in its harmonious synthesis of New and Old World winemaking styles. Wines lately coming...

Cabernet Franc

Relegated to moderate obscurity in modern times, Cabernet Franc is in fact the proud parent of the attention-hogging Cabernet Sauvignon (after an illicit affair with Sauvignon Blanc a hundred-odd years ago). Cabernet Franc has remained close to its roots in France, enjoying small pockets of popularity primarily in the Loire Valley (specifically in Chinon), where it is often bottled as a varietal...

Cabernet Sauvignon

The result of an illicit affair a hundred-odd years ago between Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon today enjoys more worldwide popularity than both of its parents combined. It is the principal grape of Bordeaux, and as such has rightly earned its place among the greatest and most long-lived wines of the Old World; of course, it is also the most heralded grape of California,...